High Tide: From Arms Trafficking To Kim Jong-Il’s Yachts

A roundup of corruption-related news from Dow Jones and other sources.

Wikileaks:

Among the revelations in the latest batch of cables: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Syria of supplying Hezbollah, a group the U.S. designated as a terrorist organization, with ballistic missiles. France was going to sell Russia a ship capable of amphibious assaults. The U.S. pressured the U.N. to deny an Iranian a job on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. One cable detailed locations around the world considered vital to U.S. national security. The United States suspected a Saudi Arabian ambassador to the Philippines of potential involvement in funding terrorists after he intervened to secure the release of two leaders of an Islamic charity. France and the United States have been cooperating more closely for a year in the fight against an al Qaeda unit in north Africa. (NY Times, NY Times, Guardian, Al Jazeera English, AFP, AFP)

Technip SA, Eni SpA and JGC Corp. are in talks with Nigerian prosecutors to settle corruption charges that will be filed today. (Bloomberg)

Switzerland has returned about $20 million to Taiwan after the bribery conviction of its former president. (AFP)

The U.S. Senate is preparing to vote on the fate of a Louisiana judge impeached by the House for alleged corruption and bribery. (NY Times)

The Jersey City Independent has exhaustivecoverage of the trial of former New Jersey assemblyman L. Harvey Smith.

The FCPAProfessor honors the late Rep. Stephen Solarz, D-N.Y., for his legacy in leading what became the FCPA.

Money laundering:

India’s Reserve Bank called on smaller banks to tighten up their AML controls. (Indian Express)

Sanctions:

A Vienna court fined an unnamed Austrian man $4.4 million over the sale of luxury goods, including yachts, believed destined for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. (Reuters)

As the six-party Iran nuclear program talks ended, Iran called for sanctions against it to be lifted, something also wanted [sub. req.]by the United Arab Emirates. (AFP, Zawya Dow Jones)

Whistleblowers:

Marketwatch looks at the “cottage industry” seeking to assist parties affected by the Dodd-Frank Act, including whistleblowers.

The Defense Department’s system for investigating whistleblower claims has struggled due to lack of resources and other problems as claims skyrocketed, a leaked inspector general’s report found. (Project on Government Oversight)

General Anti-Corruption:

Afghanistan’s mining minister said he’s shaken up his agency and put it on the path to be a compliant state under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. (Reuters)

India’s Supreme Court ordered the country’s anti-corruption chief to answer questions asking whether he’s fit to serve his position in a probe of the sale of wireless airwaves due to his previous position as a bureaucrat in the telecommunications ministry. (Bloomberg)

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Corruption Currents, The Wall Street Journal’s corruption blog, digs into the ever-present and ever-changing world of corporate corruption. It is a source of news, analysis and commentary for those who earn a living by finding corruption or by avoiding it. Corruption Currents is written by Christopher. M. Matthews and Sam Rubenfeld and edited by Nick Elliott.

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